Letters to the Editor, Sept. 3

Editor's note: because of an editing error, the following letter was incomplete in Monday's paper. Here is the correct version.

The line is not fine

Regarding Mr. Thompson's diatribe ( Aug. 28) against Israel, the only Democracy in the Middle East. One must remember there is not so fine a line between truth and fabrication and people tend to believe what supports their views regardless of the facts. The fourth estate has found headlines in Gaza and has pushed the fabrications (for increased sales) with headlines that are not only dishonest but have no basis in fact.

If Mr. Thompson wants to talk about recent genocide, I refer him to Rwanda, Darfur, Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic and a myriad of other state-sponsored genocides in Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan (by the way, we still give billions to that dysfunctional democracy), et cetera.

So perhaps a history lesson is in order; I urge him to read Matti Friedman's article online for some fact-checking and reality testing. By the way, the next time he sees rockets being fired all day at his country indiscriminately with the attendant explosions, I wonder what his response would be.

Yale Sacks, Central Point

Israel wins, hands down

Jim Thompson (Aug. 28) accuses Israel of being guilty of war crimes for defending itself. It’s like accusing the United States of war crimes fighting Germany and Japan in World War II.

What kind of ideology is it that denies the totalitarianism in Gaza, the atrocities of Hamas and implies that the thriving open democratic society of Israel is evil and yet blind to the evil of Hamas? I call this “success envy.”

Ayn Rand defines envy as “hatred of the good for being the good.” It is the same sick political ideology permeating our society today, manifested as anti-capitalist, anti-individualist (you didn’t build that), pro-statist and collectivist. We’re just not at the point yet where dissenters are shot, as in Gaza. We are in the intimidation phase now and there are groups trying to limit freedom of speech, such as www.movetoamend.org.

In my view a just society is measured by how it protects individual rights. Are individual rights inalienable, or are they to be handed out to favored groups or individuals and denied to others by those in power? Using this criterion, Israel wins hands down over Gaza and Hamas. Whither goest thou, USA?

Gordon W. Dickerson, Medford

Why I support Israel

I am an ardent supporter of Israe,l in contrast to Jim Thompson (Aug. 28), who supports Hamas.

I support Israel because it is a democracy; it makes vast contributions to science, medicine and literature that benefit the entire world. It provides a home to Jews, Christians and Muslims. It allows freedom of religion. It gives everyone freedom of speech and the right to vote. It treats women as equal to everyone else. Gay people are allowed to express themselves openly. Arabs serve in the parliament and on the Supreme Court. If Mr. Thompson lived in Israel, he could express hatred for Israel and for Jews openly and nothing would happen to him.

Gaza, under the control of Hamas, is a virtual prison to the Palestinians who live there. Gaza makes no contribution to the world. No one has any freedoms. There is only one religion allowed, Islam. If Mr. Thompson lived in Gaza and expressed opposition to Hamas, he would be decapitated or shot.

Hamas has the same plans for Jews as Hitler had; kill all of them. It's sad that Mr. Thompson supports Hamas.